Word Game for Enhancing Diction

ABSTRACT

This present invention relates to a vocabulary-based game for a group of players. The game can include a deck of cards having both alphabet cards and non-alphabet or action cards. Each alphabet card can have one or more letters thereon. Each action card can have one or more rules displayed thereon. The plurality of cards are dealt to participating players in a predetermined number and the game proceeds generally wherein sequential players create words by using or ‘playing’ their alphabet cards to form words. Each player, during his or her turn, attempts to play a word from his or her hand or add letters to a word from another player. Points are based on the length of the formed word (i.e. number of letters in the formed word) and can be enhanced by an action card.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/034,442, which was filed on Jun. 4, 2020and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of word games. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a word card game designedto enhance diction and vocabulary skills while offering a solution toboredom and isolation. The word card game comprises a plurality ofalphabet or letter cards that can be combined and/or associated with oneanother to form words. Each of the letter cards can comprise a singleletter. The letter cards can also be combined or paired with actioncards. Predeterminable values can be assigned to the letter cards and/oraction cards to generate or calculate points therefrom. Additionally,the word card game can also feature several different action cards thatcan be used to adjust point values of formed or ‘played-out’ words,and/or to adjust other gameplay protocols. The word card game offers afun and entertaining replacement for standard board or tabletop games.Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto.Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the presentinvention are also equally applicable to other like applications,devices and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

By way of background, various kinds of games are available for theentertainment of users. For example, people may enjoy playing cards andtabletop games for fun. A wide variety of board games are also wellknown and are available for people to play. Games such as poker, dicegames, and more have been known for a long time, and have been played bypeople around the world. Conventional games, heretofore known, are basedon typical rules and strategies, and people may quickly become boredplaying the same games repetitively. Further, by playing the same gamesrepetitively, people may become a master of a game and may easily beable to predict the strategies of the other players. This can make thegame uninteresting and frustrating for the other players.

Additionally, people may desire to play games which not only provide funand entertainment but that also work to enhance the education of theparticipants, thereby maintaining/restoring good brain function. Typicaltabletop games, such as dice or card games, do not work on the creativeskills and mental abilities of the individuals playing the game. Peoplemay not be able to continually learn from conventional games availablein the state of the art. Further, typical card games are usually basedon tricks and predictable strategies. However, once a person becomesproficient in such card games, and is able to predict the tricks orstrategies of their opponent, the games can become monotonous. Otherindividuals may hesitate to play such games. Furthermore, most currentcard games are not educationally oriented, and do not work on enhancingthe learning skills of the individuals playing the games.

Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for a game that is afun and entertaining replacement for standard board or tabletop games.Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a game that isunique, and that can be used by educational institutions to enableindividuals to learn through fun and entertainment. Further, there is along felt need in the art for a game that works on enhancing creativediction and memory skills, and that is educationally oriented andadaptable to different educational levels. Finally, there is a long feltneed in the state of the art for a game that enhances vocabulary skills,improved brain function, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture andthat is both fun and easy to play.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises a deck of cards including a group of alphabet orletter cards, and a group of non-alphabet or action cards. The alphabetcards comprise a plurality of assorted consonant and vowel cards. Eachalphabet card includes an individual alphabetic letter on a facethereof. The group of alphabet cards can include multiple duplicates ofthe same letter. The group of non-alphabet or action cards comprise aplurality of non-alphabet cards. Each non-alphabet or action cardincludes a rule or protocol on a face thereof. The group of non-alphabetcards can include multiple duplicates of the same rule or protocol. Someof the non-alphabet cards can be used to boost the points a player canearn. The deck of cards can contain more alphabet cards thannon-alphabet or action cards. To be described in more detailhereinafter, the alphabet cards are used for making, creating, or“playing-out” words, and the action cards are used to boost the pointsscored by the “played-out” words.

In this manner, the novel word action game of the present inventionaccomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, and provides a relativelyeasy and entertaining solution to enable the individuals to play theword game while learning new words and enhancing their creative/mentalabilities. The word action game of the present invention is also userfriendly, inasmuch as it provides fun and entertainment, whilesimultaneously eliminating the boredom of playing repetitive andconventional games.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summaryis not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its solepurpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises a deck of cards including a plurality of alphabetcards and a plurality of non-alphabet or action cards. The plurality ofalphabet cards can include an assortment of consonant cards and anassortment of vowel cards. Each alphabet card can have an individualalphabet/letter on a face thereof. The plurality of alphabet cards caninclude several cards having the same letter thereon. The non-alphabetor action cards comprise a plurality of non-alphabet cards. Eachnon-alphabet or action card can include a rule or protocol on a facethereof. In one arrangement, the deck of cards comprises more alphabetcards than non-alphabet or action cards. The alphabet cards are used formaking, “playing-out” or creating words, while some of the action cardsare used to boost the points scored by the made or created words.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of playing avocabulary-based game by a plurality of players is disclosed. The methodcomprises the initial step of providing a deck of unique playing cards.The deck of cards can include both alphabet cards (i.e., letter cards)and non-alphabet or action cards. Each alphabet card can have anindividual alphabet letter on a face thereof, and each action card canhave a rule or protocol on a face thereof. Some rules or protocolsdescribe methods to boost the points a player can earn via the alphabetcards. Play can begin by shuffling the deck of cards and dealing out apredetermined number of cards to each of the plurality of players, andthen stacking the remaining cards face down into one pile for use by theplurality of players during the game. A player can begin his or her turnby “playing-out” a word from their hand. Playing-out a word comprisescombining two or more alphabet cards to form a recognized word (e.g., asrecognized by a standard dictionary). Typical word formation involvescombining at least one consonant letter with at least one vowel letter.The player can contemporaneously add one or more letters to a word madeby another player in order to score additional points. Alternative playscan include use of action cards if the player does not have a word toplay, and cannot add to another player's word. Alphabet cards and actioncards that have been “played-out” (i.e. used) can be stacked in adiscard pile. During a turn, respective players pick more cards from thestacked pile to replenish the cards held in their hand in order tomaintain the predetermined number of dealt cards. One contemplated turnfor a player includes trading, or replenishing, all cards presently heldby the player with a like number of cards from the stacked pile. Gamepoints can be awarded to each player based on the length of the wordplayed (i.e., the count of the letters). Action cards can be played toenhance (i.e., add to or multiply) the game points scored. The game canend when all cards in the stacked pile have been consumed and/or whenone player uses all of their cards. At the end of the game, game pointtotals can be adjusted by subtracting one point for each alphabet cardand two points for each action card held by a player from theirrespective scored points. A winner can then be declared by comparingeach player's point total, wherein the player with the highest finalscore wins the game.

In one exemplary arrangement, the game can be played with deck of cardsby two to six players. Prior to starting the game, ground rules of thegame should be established. The rules must be understood and agreed toby all participants. To start the game, a selected first player isnamed. The game can start with the player positioned to the left of thedealer and then proceed in a clockwise rotation. A clock-wise rotation,as typically done when playing “poker”, “bridge”, etc., determines thesecond, third, etc., and last player. After shuffling of the deck ofcards, a predetermined number of cards (as agreed to in advance by theplayers) are dealt out to each player starting with the first player andfinishing with the last player. The remaining cards can then be placedface down in a stacked pile at the center of the playing area.

The game of the present invention, also referred to as “Word Action!”,provides a vocabulary-based game that is entertaining for a group ofplayers to participate in while also being challenging, stimulating,interesting and educational. The game promotes the concepts ofvocabulary, diction and word relationships. The game permits players tobe awarded points corresponding to the number of letters in the wordsthat they form. Action cards can be used to enhance or modify theawarded points. Additionally, the game stimulates creativity in formingwords and improves spelling of words.

The game cards can be conventional or non-conventional, and the gamerules are easy to both understand and follow. Game point totals arelikewise easy to calculate, and each player has a fair chance to win.The game can be played by any number of players, and by players of anyage. The game of the present invention offers an entertaining activityfor any number of players, making it an ideal game for any occasion. Aswill be appreciated, the game encourages players to use their vocabularyand diction skills to maximize the player's point total.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein inconnection with the following description and the annexed drawings.These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and areintended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Otheradvantages and novel features will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to provided drawings in which similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the various game components ofone potential embodiment of the word card game for enhancing diction ofthe present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic view of one potential embodiment ofthe word card game for enhancing diction of the present invention beingplayed by four players in accordance with the disclosed architecture;and

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of one potential embodiment of themethod of playing the word card game for enhancing dictation of thepresent invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovationcan be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments arediscussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are describedonly to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are notintended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limitthe scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment neednot have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in otherembodiments, any of the features described herein from differentembodiments may be combined.

As noted above, there is a long felt need in the art for a game that isa fun and entertaining replacement for standard board or tabletop games,such as card games. There is also a long felt need in the art for a gamethat is unique, and that can be used by educational institutions toenable individuals to learn through fun and entertainment. Additionally,there is a long felt need in the art for a game that works on enhancingcreative diction and memory skills, and that is educationally orientedand adaptable to different educational levels. Finally, there is a longfelt need in the state of the art for a game that enhances vocabularyskills, improved brain function, is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture and that is both fun and easy to play.

The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a novel word gamefor enhancing diction that is comprised of a deck of cards having bothalphabet cards and non-alphabet or action cards. The alphabet cardscomprise a plurality of alphabet or letter cards, wherein each alphabetcard includes an individual alphabet/letter on a face thereof and thealphabet cards can include duplicates of the same letter. Thenon-alphabet or action cards comprise a plurality of non-alphabet cards,wherein each non-alphabet or action card includes a rule on a facethereof. It is to be appreciated that the non-alphabet cards can be usedor deployed to boost or enhance player point totals. To be describedhereinafter, the alphabet cards are used for making words and the actioncards are used to selectively boost the points scored by the made-upwords or to alter other game playing protocols.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspectiveview of the various game components of one potential embodiment of theword card game for enhancing diction 100 of the present invention inaccordance with the disclosed architecture. As shown, the exemplaryarrangement of the present invention includes a deck of cards 102comprising at least one hundred and fifty cards that may be stored in agame box 104 when not in use. In on embodiment, the playing deck 102 iscomprised of at least one hundred and twenty-eight alphabet cards 106and at least twenty-two non-alphabet or action cards 108. Thecompilation or distribution of consonants to vowels to form the deck ofalphabet cards 106 can include a count or number (i.e., a quantity) ofeach letter card to reflect the common or typical usage of each letterin forming, for example, words in the English language. For example,word compilations of the English language demonstrate that the ratio ofconsonants to vowels to form words is in the typical range of about 4:1to about 1:1. Therefore and in order to maximize the possibility of wordformation, the ratio of consonants to vowels in the deck of alphabetcards 106 should range from about 4:1 to about 1:1.

In one exemplary deck of alphabet cards 106 having a consonant to vowelratio in the range of 4:1, the number of consonant cards would beapproximately 105 (i.e., a count of five cards for each for the 21identified consonants) and approximately 25 vowel cards (i.e., a countof five cards for each of the five identified vowels, namely A, E, I, Oand U). Another exemplary deck of alphabet cards 106 having a consonantto vowel ratio in the range of 3:1 can include approximately 105consonant cards (i.e., a count of five cards for each of the 21identified consonants) and approximately 35 vowel cards (i.e., a countof seven cards for each of the five vowels, namely A, E, I, O and U). Inyet another exemplary deck of alphabet cards 106 having a consonant tovowel ratio in the range of 5:2, the deck of alphabet cards 106 mayinclude approximately 105 consonant cards (i.e., a count of five cardsfor each of the 21 identified consonants) and approximately 40 vowelcards (i.e., a count of eight cards for each of the identified vowels,namely A, E, I, O and U).

In yet a still further embodiment of a deck of alphabet cards 106 havinga consonant to vowel ratio in the range of 3:2, the alphabet deck 106can include approximately 84 consonant cards (i.e., a count of fourcards for each of the 21 identified consonants) and approximately 50vowel cards (a count of ten cards for each of A, E, I, O and U). Instill another exemplary deck of alphabet cards 106 having a consonant tovowel ratio in the range of 1:1, the deck 106 can include approximately63 consonant cards (i.e., a count of three cards for each of the 21identified consonants) and approximately 65 vowel cards (i.e., a countof thirteen cards for each of the vowels, namely A, E, I, O and U).

Notwithstanding, it is to be appreciated that the count for eachalphabet card, in the deck of alphabet cards 106, should approximate thefrequency as to which that particular letter is used in English wordformation. For example, some of the most common letters used in theEnglish language are E, A, R, I, O, T, N and S (refer to Table 1 below).More specifically, Table 1 reflects one analysis of the lettersoccurring in the words listed in the main entries of the Concise OxfordDictionary (9th edition, 1995). The frequency of each letter in wordformation is represented by the percentages of occurrence illustratednext to the letter. Using these frequencies, one can equate the relativeusage ratio of each letter.

TABLE 1 E 11.1607% 56.88 A 8.4966% 43.31 R 7.5809% 38.64 I 7.5448% 38.45O 7.1635% 36.51 T 6.9509% 35.43 N 6.6544% 33.92 S 5.7351% 29.23 L5.4893% 27.98 C 4.5388% 23.13 U 3.6308% 18.51 D 3.3844% 17.25 P 3.1671%16.14 M 3.0129% 5.36 H 3.0034% 5.31 G 2.4705% 2.59 B 2.0720% 0.56 F1.8121% 9.24 Y 1.7779% 9.06 W 1.2899% 6.57 K 1.1016% 5.61 V 1.0074% 5.13X 0.2902% 1.48 Z 0.2722% 1.39 J 0.1965% 1.00 Q 0.1962% (1)

For example, the most used letter, E, is 56 times more common than theletter Q in forming English words. Accordingly, in one arrangement ofthe deck of alphabet cards 106, the count or number of each alphabetcard may reflect the relative usage of each letter in the Englishlanguage. The closer the count of the deck of alphabet cards 106 (i.e.frequency in the deck) is to typical usage in the English language, theeasier the game 100 will be to play. Conversely, diverting the count ofthe deck of alphabet cards 106 away from typical usage in the Englishlanguage, the more difficult the game 100 will be to play. Therefore,players can manipulate the difficulty of game play by changing theratio, count, or number of particular letters in the deck of alphabetcards 106. Any number of alphabet cards 106, in a variety of respectiveratios of consonants to vowels, can be used to compile a deck ofalphabet cards 106 to fulfill the objectives of the game as describedherein. It should also be appreciated that relative letter usage ratios,including consonant to vowel ratios, can be adapted according tospecific languages used in playing the game.

Each alphabet card 106 has a letter 1060 on its face, and each alphabetcard 106 can be in a different color. By comparison, each non-alphabetor action card 108 has a rule, action step or protocol 1080 printed onits face, and each non-alphabet or action card 108 can be in a differentcolor. A document sheet (i.e., rules of the game) 110 can also beincluded in the game box 104 to suggest the rules for playing the game100.

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic view of one potential embodiment ofthe word card game for enhancing diction 100 of the present inventionbeing played by a plurality of players in accordance with the disclosedarchitecture. It is to be appreciated that any number of players canplay the game at the same time, though the preferred number of playersbe between 2 to 6 players, inclusive. Prior to starting the game, allplayers must agree on a dictionary and a score keeper. Additionally,prior to starting the game, the ground rules of the game are establishedand the rules must be understood and agreed by all of the players. Itshould be noted that one ground rule can prohibit proper nouns and/orabbreviations from being used to generate words. Another ground rule canprohibit the formation of two letter words, though two letter words mayalso be permitted provided that they do not use a two letter alphabetcard. Nonetheless, other rules can also be agreed to by the playersprior to initiating the game 100.

Referring again to FIG. 2, playing of the game 100 generally involveseach player sequentially playing their hand in sequential rounds. Forexample, play can start with a first player 201 playing his or her handand then continuing sequentially in, for example, a clockwise directionso that the second player 202 follows the first player 210, and then athird player 203, fourth player 204, etc. General play begins after theinitial dealing of the cards 102 to all the players in the game. Oncethe cards are dealt, the remaining cards from the deck of cards 102 canbe placed in a stacked pile at the center of the table 220. Placement ofthe remaining cards on the table, after dealing, enables access to thecards 012 by all of the participating players, 201, 202, 203, 204. Inone illustrative example, seven cards can be initially dealt to eachplayer comprising a random count of alphabetic cards 106 and actioncards 108. The game ends when all cards are gone (i.e. all of the cardsin the stacked pile are depleted), and/or when any player uses all ofhis or her cards or no players can make another play, wherein the playerto play all of their cards first receives an agreed upon bonus amount(e.g., 10 points). Once the game ends, any player who has remainingcards, in accordance with another ground rule, must subtract one pointfor each alphabet card 106 and two points for each action card 108remaining in their hand. To be detailed below, the player with thehighest point total wins the game.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of one potential embodiment of themethod of playing the word card game for enhancing dictation 100 of thepresent invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. Asshown, in one exemplary arrangement, at block 301, the rules of the game100 are established, and a deck of one hundred and fifty cards isshuffled and seven cards are dealt out to each player. At block 302, theremaining deck of cards are placed face down in a stack pile proximal tothe center of play. Then, players 201, 202, 203, 204 start the game bytaking turns in a sequential or clockwise manner where the designatedfirst player 201 proceeds to initiate play by drawing out or creating aword by using two or more of the alphabet cards 106 from the seven cardsheld in their hand at block 303. After drawing out or creating a wordknown in the English language, the first player 201 then picks up cardsfrom the stacked pile to replenish the cards in their hand to retain atotal of seven cards for a subsequent turn at block 304. Scoring of thefirst player's word is based on the count of letters or alphabet cards106 formed in the word. For example, a two letter word equates to twopoints; a three letter word equates to three points; a four letter wordequates to four points; and so on and so forth. Therefore, the totalletter count of the word, for example the count of alphabet cards 106used to form the word, equates to the point value for that word. Adesignated second player 202 then proceeds to play a word (i.e. draw outor create) from their hand by combining two or more alphabet cards 106.

During play, a player can challenge a word on its legitimacy and/orspelling, and incomplete or improper words may be penalized. In onealternative or contemporaneous play, the designated second player 202may choose to add a letter or letters to a word created by a previousplay of another player. The addition of a letter or letters can be atthe end of (i.e., a suffix), or in front of (i.e., a prefix) thepreviously played word. Adding to another player's word can be limitedto a single occurrence if all of the players so agree in advance of thegame. The player adding to a word, or previous play, of another player,can score the point total of the newly formed word according to thecount of letters in the newly formed word. In on embodiment, a point perletter is awarded for words having 6 or fewer letters, 10 points areawarded for a seven letter word and 12 points are awarded to wordscontaining eight or more letters. Additionally, a bonus of 10 points isawarded if a player plays all seven cards in one turn, which is inaddition to the points awarded for the word played. A player who isunable to play a word may pass when it is his or her turn.

In another alternative or contemporaneous play, the designated secondplayer 202 can play an action card 108 if the player does not have aword to play and cannot add to a previous player's word, or if itdoesn't need to be partnered with a word (e.g., the action cards Double,Triple and Quad have to be played with a word). After all of the cardsare played, the designated second player 202 can then pick up cards fromthe stacked pile to replenish the played cards in order to retain atotal seven cards in their hand at the conclusion of their turn at block305. The same steps can then be repeated by each of the remainingplayers 203, 204 to finish a turn of the game at block 306.

It is to be appreciated that action cards 108 can also be used by aplayer during any turn to enhance the point value of the word created bythat player 201, 202, 203, 204. Exemplary action cards 108 can includespecific enhancements, operations or instructions to be followed by aplayer. For example, exemplary action cards 108 may include enhancementsthat instruct the player to add one or two points, respectively, to theplayed word of said player. Other exemplary action cards 108 can includeenhancements that instruct the player to multiply the count of a playedword of said player by two or three, respectively (i.e., DOUBLE POINT 2×or TRIPLE POINT 3×). Illustrative scoring for an exemplary three letterword, combined with the above described action cards, would result inthe following point totals: 3+1=4; 3+2=5; 3×2=6; and 3×3=9. Illustrativescoring for an exemplary four letter word, combined with the abovedescribed action cards, would result in the following point totals:4+1=5; 4+2=6; 4×2=8; and 4×3=12. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciatedthat a different count of letters for the played word will respectivelyresult in a different point total being achieved. Other action cards,with a variety of point enhancements, can be designated for playing thegame 100. For example, another example of an action card 108 may includean instruction that allows the player to form more than one word duringa single turn. Still another example of an action card 108 could includereversing the direction of play from a first direction to a seconddirection (i.e., REWIND).

Returning to the one potential method of playing the game 100 of thepresent invention described in FIG. 3, the played-out alphabet cards 106and action cards 108 during the course of playing the game arecontinuously piled in a discard pile 210 after each round, and thediscard pile 210 is prohibited from reuse during the game at block 307.It is to be appreciated that ‘played out’ cards include alphabet cards106 that have been used to complete a word; alphabet cards 106 that havebeen added to a word of another player; and action cards 108 that havealready been acted upon (i.e., used). Any number of action cards 108,with a variety of respective instructions, can be used to compile thedeck of cards 102 to fulfill the objectives of the game as describedherein. One alternative play by each player during the course of asingle game may also include a single occurrence of trading orexchanging all seven cards held by a player for a new set of seven cardsremoved from the top of the stacked pile. The traded in cards can thenbe placed at the bottom of the stacked pile, be shuffled and seven newcards drawn at block 308, however the player cannot play out until hisor her next turn. The game 100 is finished at block 309 when the stackedpile is depleted, and/or when one of the players 201, 202, 203, 204 usesall of his or her cards, or when no player can make another play. Forscoring, ground rules can stipulate subtracting one point for eachalphabet card 106 and two points for each action card 108 held by aplayer 201, 202, 203, 204 at the end of the game 100 from their scoredpoints. The player with the highest point total at the end of the gameis declared the winner at block 310.

It is also contemplated that the card game 100 can be altered to includemore than one language on the alphabet cards. It is to be appreciatedthat playing the aforementioned game, using multiple languages, canfacilitate one's learning of a second language. For a greater number ofplayers, the total number of cards in the deck 102 can be increasedincluding an increased number of alphabet cards 106 and non-alphabetcards 108. The cards may be manufactured from a durable paper or plasticmaterial with the letters, rules and protocol designations printed orotherwise applied or formed on a face of the card. The game 100 of thepresent invention challenges players 201, 202, 203, 204 to exercisetheir diction, vocabularies and problem-solving skills, and providesboth educational and entertainment benefits. In the game, any type ofword including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. are acceptable.To increase the challenge of the game, proper nouns such as Michael,America, and Ohio can be prohibited during the playing of one's hand.Additionally, two letter words can also be prohibited during the playingof one's hand to further increase the challenge of the game 100.Alternatively, two letter words may be permitted, provided that the twoletter word does not include the two letter alphabet card.

In a preferred embodiment of the game 100, it should be noted thatplayers 201, 202, 203, 204 may be penalized for creating an improper orincomplete word, depending on the rules agreed to by all players at theonset of the game. Alternatively, the player may simply not be awardedany score for the improper or incomplete word. Players are encouraged toplay more complicated (i.e., longer) words and to add action cards toscore large amounts of points. In one embodiment, the game 100 may havean associated timer 107 (see e.g., FIG. 1) for recording the timing of aplayer to play their turn. During game play, players can alsocommunicate amongst themselves verbally to discuss rules and/or toapprove or disapprove of any word played by a player.

The playing cards 106, 108 of the present invention can be madeavailable in multiple different languages including, without limitation,English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Korean,Thai, German, or any other language that is spoken and written invarious countries around the world. The cards 106, 108 of the deck 102may further comprise any logo, indicia, trademark, geometric pattern,customizable color and font, embroidery and print and/or images on theirface.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claimsto refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the artwill appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature orcomponent by different names. This document does not intend todistinguish between components or features that differ in name but notstructure or function. As used herein “deck of alphabet and actioncards”, “Word Action! cards”, and “deck of cards” are interchangeableand refer to the word game for enhancing diction 100 of the presentinvention.

Notwithstanding the forgoing, the word game for enhancing diction 100 ofthe present invention can be played by any number of players at anyplace in accordance with the simple rules of the game. All of theplayers 201, 202, 203, 204 have an equal and fair chance of winning thegame 100. Although the dimensions of the components of the cards 106,108 are important design parameters for user convenience, the cards 106,108 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during useand/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences. Variousmodifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodimentsdiscussed without departing from the scope of the present invention.While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, thescope of this invention also includes embodiments having differentcombinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of thedescribed features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention isintended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variationsas fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalentsthereof.

What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subjectmatter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimedsubject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A deck of playing cards comprising: a pluralityof alphabet cards, wherein each of the plurality of alphabet cards hasat least one letter thereon; and a plurality of action cards, whereinthe plurality of alphabet cards is comprised of a first group ofconsonant cards and a second group of vowel cards.
 2. The deck ofplaying cards of claim 1, wherein a count of the first group ofconsonant cards relative to a count of the second group of vowel cardscomprises a ratio of about 4:1 to about 1:1, inclusive.
 3. The deck ofplaying cards of claim 1, wherein a count of the first group ofconsonant cards relative to a count of the second group of vowel cardscomprises a ratio of about 3:1 to about 2:1, inclusive.
 4. The deck ofplaying cards of claim 1, wherein a count of the first group ofconsonant cards relative to a count of the second group of vowel cardscomprises a ratio of about 2:1 to about 1:1, inclusive.
 5. The deck ofplaying cards of claim 1, wherein a count of the first group ofconsonant cards relative to a count of the second group of vowel cardscomprises a ratio and further wherein the ratio is representative of aconsonant to vowel ratio reflecting the actual average usage rate usedin English word formation.
 6. The deck of playing cards of claim 1,wherein each of the plurality of action cards includes an instructionthereon.
 7. The deck of playing cards of claim 1, wherein each of saidplurality of alphabet cards and said plurality of action cards comprisea language and further wherein said language is selected from a groupconsisting of English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Russian,Italian, Korean, Thai and German.
 8. The deck of playing cards of claim1, wherein each of the plurality of action cards includes an instructionthereon and said instruction provides an operation to a word formed bythe plurality of alphabet cards.
 9. A method of playing a card game,said method comprising the steps of: providing a deck of cards, whereina first portion of said deck of cards comprises a plurality of alphabetcards each having at least one letter thereon, and a second portion ofsaid deck of cards comprises a plurality of action cards each having aninstruction thereon; dealing in a random order a combination of saidplurality of alphabet cards and said plurality of action cards from thedeck of cards in a predeterminable number to each of at least twoplayers; stacking a remaining portion of the deck of cards in a stackpile; each of the at least two players taking sequential turns wherein afirst designated player draws out a first word using two or more of theplurality of alphabet cards; scoring said first word according to anumber of letters in the first word; and subsequent to drawing out saidfirst word, the first designated player picking up a number of cardsfrom the stack pile to equal the predeterminable number for a subsequentturn.
 10. The method of playing a card game of claim 9, wherein saidpredeterminable number is selected from a group consisting of four,five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten.
 11. The method of playing a cardgame of claim 9, further comprising a second designated player drawingout a second word using two or more of the plurality of alphabet cardsfrom the dealt cards; and scoring said second word according to thenumber of letters in said second word.
 12. The method of playing a cardgame of claim 10, wherein a second designated player adds to said firstword using one or more of the plurality of alphabet cards from thepredeterminable number of cards dealt to the second designated player toform a second word.
 13. The method of playing a card game of claim 12further comprising the step of scoring the second word, wherein a singlepoint is awarded for each letter in the second word.
 14. The method ofplaying a card game of claim 9, wherein said plurality of alphabet cardsis comprised of a plurality of consonant cards and a plurality of vowelcards.
 15. The method of playing a card game of claim 14, wherein acount of said plurality of consonant cards relative to a count of saidplurality of vowel cards comprises a ratio of between about 3:1 to about1:1, inclusive.
 16. The method of playing a card game of claim 14,wherein a count of said plurality of consonant cards relative to a countof said plurality of vowel cards comprises a ratio, and further whereinthe ratio is representative of a consonant to vowel ratio reflecting theactual average usage rate used in English word formation.
 17. A methodof playing a card game, said method comprising the steps of: providing adeck of cards, wherein said deck of cards comprises a plurality ofalphabet cards each having at least one letter thereon; dealing apredeterminable number of cards from the deck of cards to each of atleast two players; stacking a plurality of undealt cards from said deckof cards face down; each of the at least two players taking a sequentialturn wherein a designated first player draws out a first word using twoor more of said plurality of alphabet cards from the dealt cards;scoring said first word according to a number of letters in said firstword; and subsequent to drawing out said first word, said designatedfirst player picks up a number of cards from the plurality of undealtcards to retain said predeterminable number for a subsequent turn by thedesignated first player.
 18. The method of playing a card game of claim17, wherein said plurality of alphabet cards comprise a plurality ofconsonant cards and a plurality of vowel cards.
 19. The method ofplaying a card game of claim 18, wherein a count of said plurality ofconsonant cards relative to a count of said plurality of vowel cardscomprises a ratio of between about 3:1 to about 1:1, inclusive.
 20. Themethod of playing a card game of claim 18, wherein a count of saidplurality of consonant cards relative to a count of said plurality ofvowel cards comprises a ratio, and further wherein the ratio isrepresentative of a consonant to vowel ratio reflecting the actualaverage usage rate used in English word formation.